Maps
by invinciblebears
Summary: When all hope was lost, they found it within each other. AU
1. Prologue

The farm fell early. Her dad couldn't accept that the creatures were dead and at the time Beth clutched onto that idea with everything she had; would have done anything to believe her mom and brother were still alive. Now she knew how foolish they'd all been -although kicking the thought proved to be a difficult task.

Otis had been loading a body into the barn when he was bit by an undead neighbor that got loose. Her momma and Shawn had already become sick-loaded into the barn with the others at that point… They all got out while Otis was on the ground, being eaten alive; it was Beth who'd seen the whole thing from her spot on the field, she who ran to tell the others.

Despite her best efforts, they still lost three people that day: Otis, Patricia and Jimmy. They'd also gotten split up in the small herd: Maggie and her dad locked themselves in the house while Beth ran along the long road leading towards their property. She'd wanted to go for the woods but was more likely to get lost in the lush greenery… also more likely to fall if she was being honest with herself.

A few years ago, she spent a lot of time on the neighboring farms with their grandkids. So she had an idea of where she was going, making her way to the old treehouse easily- as if she still went there every day like she did when she was younger. The ladder was old and rickety at this point… probably eaten to hell by termites. Despite that, the place held up pretty steadily. It was smaller than she'd like but big enough to lay down and get a good night's sleep, big enough to be comfortable when awake. Her plan was to hole up in the tree house for a day or two until the zombies in their yard wandered somewhere else; after she'd go back to meet up with her dad and Maggie.

Honestly, the youngest Greene hadn't even thought about what she was going to eat until a few of the walkers from the barn wandered underneath the small wooden treehouse she made home for the night and took the option of her leaving off the table. It would have been pointless to scavenge from her neighbor's house anyways- she was fairly sure Otis and Shawn had already done that after they became sick.

After falling asleep and waking again without seeing anyone sick, Beth decided to try her luck going back home. She didn't want to stay away for so long that they thought she was bitten but also didn't want to risk getting bitten on her walk back, it was a fine line to balance.

She was getting more weak with hunger each hour that passed. They'd been lucky up until that point, not having to starve at all… She hadn't eaten breakfast before all the people escaped the barn and going twenty-four hours without food had her stomach aching for some nourishment. If she didn't move soon, she'd lose her chance; become too weak to fight.

Gripping the pocket knife that Thomas left in the treehouse after his last visit, Beth found herself anticipating the short walk back to the farm. It was pretty likely that there will still be sick people lurking around, maybe even her mother or her brother… and if she didn't defend herself, she'd end up just like them.

Not able to help it, tears sprung from her eyes at the mere thought of what she'd have to do to them. Her father would never approve, be devastated if he knew she was even thinking like this but something about the incident with the barn made her realize how truly hopeless everything was. It snapped her back to reality, made her realize how idealistic her dad was being. No one was coming to save them: they had to save themselves. She knew it but the thought still made her want to curl up into a ball and cry, just give up before she gets torn apart regardless.

After taking a few minutes to wallow in the situation, she got her composure once more and climbed down the latter once she was sure the area below was clear. Her neighbor's yard was both peaceful and ominous- the yard looked exactly the same as it did before the sickness took over. It was too easy to get lost in the memories it used to hold, too easy to let your guard down when you were in it.

Flipping open the small blade and gripping it until her knuckles were white, Beth made her way along the road that would bring her back to her farm with a grim look on her face. If she was going to be honest with herself, she wasn't sure if she was ready to fight these things. After a second she rolled her eyes at her own thought; no one was ever ready to fight these things. You just had to do it if you wanted to live.

When she saw the farm the breath caught in her throat. She'd expected the people to walk somewhere else once they weren't being contained, maybe kind of thought her mom and Shawn would stay on the farm and all the other sick people would scatter. Most were still in the yard: some were standing idilly, others were wandering around and knocking into anything that got in their way. There was no way that she could get into the house yet.

Backtracking before they turned and saw her, Beth eyed the direction she just came in. A few miles away was the grocery store in town- there wouldn't be much left at this point but maybe a few cans of something. She'd take anything, truthfully. Deciding to hide in the treeline, Beth made her way through the woods in her yard towards the stables. Most of the infected were near the barn or the main house, if there was one or two near the stables she could probably outrun them. She moved slowly through the woods, trying to be as quiet as she could but finding it extremely difficult.

The stables were hidden in the treeline of the property and she suspected that's the reason she got lucky- not finding a single infected person to fight as she put the saddle on her brown horse, Belle. She doubted she'd get that lucky when putting her back in the stables, the sound of her hooves hitting the ground likely to draw attention towards them. She didn't know much about the sickness but she knew being loud only drew more of them to you.

The ride into town was eery, she didn't usually ride her horse on actual roads before everything went bad. There didn't seem to be another soul on Earth; the thought making her heart ache with a hollowness she didn't know was possible. She knew that her father and Maggie were alive in their home but found herself wondering how long it'd be until she hugged them again, riding up to the grocery story and tying Belle to the bike rack in the front of the store quickly.

She didn't see any walkers and the thought only made her more alert, not wanting anything to sneak up on her. Surprised at how much was actually left, Beth grabbed enough cans to last her probably about two weeks if she rationed. Struggling to put the heavy backpack on her shoulders once more, she finally succeeded and made her way towards the front of the store again.

Freezing as she looked through the front window to see an infected person wandering towards Belle, she debated what to do for a few moments. A second later, Beth pulled the front door open and ran up to the person, stabbing them in the neck a few times as she held them away with her other hand. She was covered in rotten guts before she knew it but the thing was still coming so she moved her stabs to a more specific region: their head. After a few jabs to the top of the head, it fell beside her quickly enough.

"I'm sorry." She spoke to the dead person sadly, letting a few tears trail down her cheeks before untying her horse and getting on her again. What her father didn't know wouldn't hurt him.


	2. I

She could tell when she got back to her treehouse that someone else has been there as well, her cans of food kicked over and her clothes in a different spot than she'd left them. Whoever found her makeshift home didn't take anything, making her suspicious as to what they wanted if not the cans of vegetables she had stocked up on.

She'd went on her daily trip to the farm to see if she was able to get inside without hurting any of the loitering undead. Ideally, she would've kept that strength she felt in the moment of killing the undead to save her horse but in reality… she always imagined that person being her mother or brother and wanted to break down all over again.

She was going to attempt to not kill anyone else, she'd decided after her guilt plagued her for several weeks after that incident. She'd promised herself that. Until she ran out of food and had to explore new territory for more. The next time she'd killed three different people…things. It'd been worth it, she left with more than enough food to last a few more weeks. She vowed to never kill again until she ran out of food, the cycle continuing endlessly. By the time she noticed someone had found her hideout, she'd already grown kind of immune to killing them.

She'd kept tallies that told her it was around her 50th day alone already, was beginning to wonder if she'd ever be able to fight her way into her home or if she was holding out hope for nothing. This break-in inspired something in her though, maybe Maggie went out to look for her?

Knowing she shouldn't draw attention to herself but unable to stop, she called out for her sister from the elevated surface. "Maggie?" She paused, listening to the sound bounce off the trees around her. After a few seconds she continued, "Daddy?"

In the distance, she heard someone shout back. What they said wasn't distinguishable but someone was there trying to contact her and because of this she climbed down the ladder and headed into the direction the noise was coming from. As she got closer, it became obvious what was being said and she found herself slowing to a stop. Someone was calling for a girl named Sophia.

Frowning as she came face to face with a rough-looking man wearing flannel, she shook her head; obviously she wasn't the girl he was looking for and obviously he wasn't the girl she was looking for either. "What's she look like?" Beth found herself asking, crossing her arms as she examined him and tried to judge if he was a good person or not. He had a kindness to his eyes that made her want to believe he was- but she also hadn't met anyone truly good since getting separated with her family. She'd had a few close calls with groups that didn't seem to have good intentions, making her more weary with each person she met.

She took a moment to eye the man in front of her: he had a face full of stubble with sharp features that reminded her of a fox. She was surprised to find him alone, most people she'd seen were traveling in pairs; itd became general knowledge that being alone in the wilderness was almost certain death. Beth took pride in the two months she'd survived without anyone to look out for her, came to realize there was a strength in her that she'd never expected.

After watching him for a few seconds, it occurred to her that this man wasn't likely afraid of anything. He looked well prepared to face any obstacle he may encounter in the wilderness, his bow trained in her for the first few minutes of their meeting despite her general non threatening appearance. He dropped the aim as he replied, "About twelve, short brown hair to her chin. Uhh…" She could tell he wanted to keep describing her but ran out of distinguishable characteristics to explain. "Wearing a blue shirt and khakis last we saw her."

Beth thought back to her walk to the farm that morning, about how there were still ten or so undead people loitering on her family's property. She figured in a day or two she'd be able to make it past the surviving ones, fight her way into the house to find her family. Ten was still too many for her and her pocket knife though, she wasn't delusional. She remembered the small undead person she'd seen that day, her shirt stuck on a nail from the old rickety barn. Remembered wondering if she was missed, gut dropping now that she knew that she was. It would've been better if her family was all dead, she remembered thinking pessimistically as she nodded her head in the direction of her family's farm.

"I'll show you regardless but… maybe you could help me after?" She found herself asking without glancing at him for confirmation; even if he failed to help her, she'd be with her family in a few days. All she needed was a little patience and faith.

He didn't say yes or no, instead simply walked alongside her silently for a while. It was about a fifteen minute walk and five minutes into it he spoke again, "You alone out here?" She could tell he didn't want to sound condescending but that didn't stop her from feeling annoyed at the question regardless. He sounded impressed but she didn't want him to be, just wanted to feel safe with her family by her side again. "found your treehouse," he elaborated simply when she stared at him, attempting to read his facial expression.

She imagined him finding the place and feeling hope that Sophia was sleeping there, felt like she could see him picking up her clothes and getting angry when he realized they were too big to belong to the young girl. She sympathized with him, knowing she'd feel just as desperate if her family was wandering the wilderness without her.

Nodding as she spoke, Beth decided to trust the man. Anyone who searched for a missing child during these hard times was obviously not the person she needed to be afraid of. "My family got separated… they're holed up in our house." As they approached the long walkway leading towards the farm, she gestured to the house in the short distance. After a few moments passed she spoke again, "Is that the girl?" Her voice was soft and sympathetic, pointing to the small person stuck on the corner of the barn. She certainly matched the description, her small teeth chomping at nothing in particular.

She was one of the few roamers that found the barn on her own, had randomly showed up about three days ago- already had been caught on the old wooden edge when Beth first spotted her. His face told her that it was indeed Sophia, he was trying to remain stoic but had a sadness in his eyes that was impossible to miss. When he started walking towards the barn and the few roamers left, she found herself calling after him and following: "What're you doing?" She asked, finally catching up with his long strides.

He sent her a sideways glance, his face contorted into a frown as if he couldn't even imagine why she'd ask something so stupid. "I ain't leaving her like that." They reached her quickly, Beth watched as he paused for a few seconds before shooting an arrow through the center of her brain. He kept the tough expression but had water in his eyes, making her believe that it'd been harder than he was letting on. Hearing the slow shuffling she'd come to associate with the undead, she turned to take the person out herself and paused when she saw the face in front of her.

Her mother waited half a second before leaning into the young woman's personal space with her mouth snapping open and closed, attempting to get a bite in wherever she could. Beth thought quickly enough to hold her arms out, pushing her back each time it tried to walk near her but couldn't maneuver herself to kill the woman even if she wanted to; It was her mom and she couldn't even imagine plunging the small blade into her skull. Pushing past her, the stranger easily slid his own knife into her head instead, looking over his shoulder at the younger girl as if he wasn't sure how she was still alive.

Falling to her knees and paying no mind to the other dead people in the yard slowly making their way to them, she let herself lean over her mom with tears flowing effortlessly down her cheeks. She knew she'd been dead for a while but that didn't make the loss hurt any less now that it was permanent. In the corner of her eye she could see him moving quickly as he killed the rest of the walkers that were approaching, probably about eight more over the course of two minutes.

"Can't stay all day." He spoke after about five minutes of waiting for her to finish mourning, a softness to his voice despite the natural gruffness. When she looked at him over her shoulder, he gestured to the house behind them lazily. He'd killed all the walkers that'd been keeping her out, there was nothing left to do now except investigate further.

Slowly wiping the tears from her face as she stood up once more, the two made their way towards her childhood home. Dread built in her stomach as the stranger knocked on the door multiple times, not getting a response at all. Their eyes met for a second before he opened the unlocked door and went inside, Beth following closely behind.

There were two walkers inside but they weren't Maggie and her daddy, they were neighbors who they'd put in the barn near the beginning. Beth plunged her tiny knife into one of their skulls, the stranger shot an arrow at the other. Standing and wiping her blade on her shirt, Beth shook her head with panic. "No.. they'd know I'd come back here, they wouldn't leave me."

They continued to explore the house, eventually coming to the sliding glass doors in the back; one was smashed opened, a gentle breeze drifting through her old home. "Might not have had a choice." He quipped, looking closely at the details near the broken glass. "Did it rain around here recently?" He asked, his boot pressing into the carpet near the broken glass to reveal a wetness that had nearly dried.

"There was a thunderstorm about two days ago." The wind had made her fear for her life in the dinky little treehouse; She was lucky she'd already thought to board the windows before it came or else her night would've gone from bad to worse. The thunder and rain pounded down all night. When she woke the next morning, she woke to tree branches fallen and the roads flooded… she'd felt blessed to be alive.

Beth frowned when she realized what that meant. They had left over two days ago... they could be anywhere by now. On the other hand, she didn't want to believe that they'd leave without her. Maybe they were holed up nearby. "Thanks for the help." She spoke after a few moments lost in thought, realizing both of them had very disappointing outcomes today. Walking through the broken back door, she was surprised when the man followed behind her. She'd expected him to go his own way now that they'd met- sent him a look over the shoulder when that wasn't the case. "What?" She asked after a minute, pausing on her journey towards the stables.

The man stopped beside her- was looking at her closely for a few minutes before replying. "I'm Daryl." He introduced himself gruffly, "Got a group waitin' for me on the highway."

Feeling feisty and very alone, Beth gave him an annoyed look. "Good for you. You can have a horse if you wanna get to them faster." Starting to walk again, they reached the stables. They used to have three horses: Nellie, Belle and Theodore; Nervous Nellie ran off the first time she'd taken Belle out as she was distracted loading Belle back into her stable. The door had somehow come loose and before she knew it, Nellie was gone.

She wasn't too worried. Nellie always came back, so unless she died first… Shaking her head, Beth thought that she'd be back as she put the saddle onto Belle. After a few seconds she paused as she thought, "They would've taken the horses if they were goin' far, don't you think?"

She watched as Daryl mimicked her actions on how to saddle his own horse, continuing to fasten one of the belts as he spoke. "Depends. If they were in a hurry, they might not have thought about it." She heard what he didn't say but might as well have: they left in a hurry. The broken glass and walkers in the house were proof enough of that. After both were finally on their respective horses, they directed the animals towards the same direction: the main road- but he had a feeling she wasn't going to go back to camp with him. "Where you goin'?"

It was Beth's turn to look at him with an expression that questioned how he was still alive. If he didn't understand the loyalty you have with blood then maybe that's actually his saving grace in this undead world: it's easy to survive when you have no one but yourself to think about. She didn't think that was him though- not after he'd been combing the forest for a twelve year old girl.

She paused to think about if her sister and dad had actually left their town thinking she was dead. If they did…. Daryl had more faith in a twelve year old girl surviving alone in the woods than they had in Beth. She refused to believe it; clutched onto the hope in her heart with everything she had. "They're alive and I'm gonna find them."

The second he'd been forced to shoot Sophia in the head with an arrow, Daryl promised himself that he was done looking for people. They lived in a new world, one where people disappeared or died at an alarming rate daily. Despite this, he found himself following after the woman in front of him lazily. She had a fire within her and he decided to make sure that it didn't go out anytime soon.

* * *

Authors Note: Thought I'd post a little update here before writing the next chapter of Be Good. Warning to any younger people reading this, I might change the rating to M as this story progresses. At this point, I'm not too sure where I'm gonna go with it so until then I'm gonna leave it be.


	3. II

Nearly every farm close to her own was filled with the undead and Beth was growing more weary the longer that they looked. They'd essentially checked all the properties close by when Daryl finally decided to attempt to interject on the mission, "They ain't anywhere around here, girl." His voice sounded exasperated and annoyed but she suspected that it was due to his losing Sophia that made him already lose hope that they'd find her own family.

"They're alive." She replied fiercely, weighing her options. They'd checked all the houses that her family would've likely taken refuge without clue that they'd ever been there and the sun would set in an hour or two now. "I'm going to find them eventually."

Daryl scoffed as she took off in the direction of her house once more, he assumed she was heading back to her tree house and followed on his own horse once again as he spoke up. "That treehouse ain't gonna last forever. People will find you if the thing doesn't fall apart first." They both let that statement float between them as the sound of clicking hoovers filled the silence. "You've been alone for a while, right?" He'd seen the notches marked into the wall of the small house- could only assume she was attempting to keep track of the days passing. "Trust me when I say that you haven't seen the worse of people yet. The longer we're out here, the longer the world is like this… it ain't gonna get better with time…"

Beth sent him a side glance, his horse now walking beside her own on the dirt road. "Leaving would be giving up." She replied softly, her eyes on the road in front of them now. The thought of leaving her family made her want to vomit- she wouldn't. She couldn't.

He shook his head slowly, scoffing at the younger woman. "Stayin' is giving up. The key to surviving this world is having a group- hell, girl. I can track and hunt but I still need them. Doesn't that tell you anything?"

The blonde tilted her head and glanced back at him for a second. "Maybe you're afraid of being alone." And although he'd never admit it, the girl had looked right through him and pulled out his fear of abandonment. The thought was eery and made him frown at the woman.

"Like I just said, no one can last out here alone." He'd played it off well but she could tell she'd struck a cord. "I split up with my brother recently." The man admitted after the two walked in silence for a while. "Thing is… maybe we're the lucky ones."

Beth glanced at him as they stopped their horses at the base of her tree, lifting her leg off the creature and jumping down skillfully -afterwards she tied the reins to the wood fence a few feet away. He didn't have to explain what he meant: they wouldn't have to watch their loved ones die or come back and try to eat them. "We aren't." She needed closure- couldn't be left wondering what happened to them forever. "I'll go with you though."

After retrieving the few items she had: a bag filled with three cans of food and an extra shirt, she wrote a note for Maggie and her father in case they came back to look for her; told them to head towards the camp on the highway and to look for another note about their location if they were no longer there. Apologized for making finding her like a scavenger hunt on the last line with a small smile and tears in her eyes… it felt like the last time she'd ever get to communicate with them.

The journey to the highway was quick on their horses, they'd gotten to the caravan stopped on the clogged road in only a few minutes. As Daryl got off his horse and made a beeline to an older woman with grey hair and tears in her eyes, Beth took hold of his horses abandoned reins and considered what to do with these animals. They'd only attract attention and take more food or water than they have, she knew if she tried to save them they'd end up as dinner- if not for them than for the undead. Without thinking twice about it, she dropped both their reins and made the noise she knew would cause the animals to take off at full speed.

An uptight man with dark hair screamed "what the hell?" as he took in the sight, marching over to her and rubbing his hair aggressively. Once he was in front of her, he crossed his arms and looked down at her as if he had some sort of authority. "Why the hell would you let a perfectly good meal run off into the sunset?" His tone was condescending and Beth found herself crossing her arms as she stared at the guy on the power trip.

"I watched those creatures be born and I raised them like my family. I ain't gonna stand around and watch them get eaten - not by you or the undead, I refuse to do it! They've got a chance now at least." She replied fearlessly, watching as he shook his head and looked to a guy with curly hair for back up.

The man he looked to shrugged in reply, "They're her horses, her call. Gone now regardless." When the man with the darker hair scoffed, he spoke again. "Why don't you take a few minutes to cool down?" The man didn't look any more calm when he stormed off but at least he wasn't giving her anymore crap. "I'm Rick." he introduced himself in a friendly manner, reaching out and shaking her hand. "That there was Shane, I'm sorry about him."

Beth couldn't help sending a dirty look in the direction he'd walked off in, "Is he always like that?"

Rick snorted lightly at the question, a smile on his lips as he glanced behind him subtly before making eye contact with her again. "Unfortunately." His reply made her smile, feeling more at ease in the sea full of strangers. She felt very out of place as she looked around the camp. There were a lot of people who seemed to be traveling without their family but they all knew each other very well by now - she found it difficult to figure out who was related or who was close due to the circumstances.

The introductions blurred together until she gave up remembering everyone's names. As she ate one of the cans she brought near the fire, Beth listened to the conversations happening around her. Rick and Shane were arguing about the best route to get to where they were going and although the location hadn't been revealed yet, found herself surprised to realize that she didn't care where it was anyways. Andrea and Dale were trying to comfort a weeping Carol- a sight that made Beth want to roll her eyes despite sympathizing with the older woman. No kind words they had to say would make her loss any easier.

Daryl sat beside her on the log a few minutes later, not saying anything as he ate his own food. She wasn't sure what the meat was but it didn't look very appealing, accepting a piece when he handed it to her regardless. She nibbled on it lightly at first before throwing the whole piece in her mouth, devouring it easily. "Needs some salt." She spoke lightly, her eyes trailing to Carol once again. "Is your wife gonna be okay?"

His eyes slid to her as well, a sad expression on his face. "We ain't like that." His eyes dropped to his feet as he continued, "I was just a dumbass... Actually thought that little girl would be alive out there."

Beth stared at him intently, shaking her head at the discouraging way he was speaking. "She could've been." The words came out fiercely- as if she'd never spoken anymore more true in her life. "You probably looked for her longer than my family looked for me… I think it's beautiful."

"Does jack shit for us." He scoffed, throwing some random twigs from the ground into the fire and watching it grow slightly.

She found herself staring as well, shrugging absentmindedly as she thought about what to say next. "At least you have closure."

Daryl gazed at her through an expressionless face, seemed to be looking right through her as she stared at the low flames. Lazily, he gestured to Carol sobbing on the other side of the camp. "That's what closure looks like." She thought about how he said he'd lost a brother, found herself wondering if he was thinking of him when he spoke.

Beth nodded, following his gaze to Carol again as well. She had waves- went from being mildly okay to having a panic attack every few minutes. "It's worth it." She replied, her eyes moving to the fire once more. "When you get separated, you gotta walk through life hoping to see them in every stranger's face, every cry for help. The whole thing feels hopeless but you can't lose faith or else you'll lose yourself." A few minutes of silence passed before she spoke again, "At least she knows where her daughter is."

Originally she'd planned to find a relatively clean car and sleep in that for the night; Instead she found herself climbing onto the roof of Dale's RV as they put out the two small fires they'd had going, sitting on the lawn chair placed up there lazily. Beth frowned at the people moving in harmony below her; they'd already found their new family, already felt comfortable around their traveling companions. She felt like the new kid in school who didn't know quite where she fit in. Daryl met her eyes from the ground as she thought this- as if he'd been able to read her mind and see that she needed some sort of support system. He nodded as a goodnight when he got into his truck and she watched everyone else go to their sleeping spot one by one as the night got later.

Dale stopped on the way inside his RV to look up at her with a friendly smile, "Carol said she didn't mind sharing the queen, if you're interested."

The thought of sleeping beside the weeping mother made Beth shake her head at once, not sure she'd be able to handle someone outwardly expressing the emotions she was already feeling about losing her family. She'd start crying too and then it'd be a whole thing. "I can keep watch, sleep in the car tomorrow." She insisted to him just as she'd said to everyone else who offered to take her seat on the RV for the night. Truthfully, the young wanted to keep an eye out for any fires nearby.

The blonde expected to fall asleep up there. Exhaustion never hit her however and before she knew it, the sun was rising on the horizon; the golden hue made everything look magical. If it was before the sickness Beth would've had her phone out to document the view- instead just stared at it in hopes that the image would be burned into her brain forever. She needed to keep reminding herself about the beauty in this ugly world… it was a difficult task but there was still beauty in the people she'd met, the places she'd been.

Her dad would still believe in a sanctuary somewhere and she believed too- for him. Maybe she'd meet him there one day.

Daryl was the first of the group to wake up, nodded in her direction as a good morning similar to his goodnight. He already had his crossbow in his hand, a backpack over his shoulders and he didn't say anything as he walked towards the treeline but she had a feeling he was going hunting. Antsy to move after sitting in a lawn chair all night, Beth quickly climbed down the ladder and ran after the man.

He didn't say anything as she followed behind him through the forest, attempting to mimic his every step as softly as she could. The man was obviously already tracking something- she could tell from the prints that they were an animal but wasn't skilled enough to know the type of animal they were trying to find.

After about an hour, he gestured for her to come closer to him and without speaking, he showed her what to do to shoot his crossbow. Afterwards he handed it to her and made her take the lead, watched as she walked as lightly as she could rather proudly. Beth was a quick study and although Daryl usually got annoyed when people were hunting with him, she was very bearable to be around. She didn't try to make small talk or walk heavily, simply watched him intently-mimicked him hoping to learn the skill.

She came up on the deer with wide eyes, not hesitating for a second before aiming the shot and releasing the arrow.

The morning when they were cooking the venison before hitting the road, members of the group kept thanking Daryl for the meat and each time the man shrugged his shoulders modestly and replied something along the lines of: "Well… thanks but it wasn't me; it was blondey over there." And before long, the group were thanking her for the meat instead. It was as if he saw how alienated she felt and did his best to rectify it, she beamed at the thought.

Right before the caravan finally started moving, she jumped into the passenger side of Daryl's pick up truck. The two traveled in silence for a while before Beth finally spoke, "Thank you for lettin' me go along this morning. I'd really like to learn how to track…would you mind if I come with more often?" And although he didn't enthusiastically encourage her to come along, she could tell by the happiness in his eyes that he didn't mind one bit. Before long, she finally let sleep overtake her for what felt like the first time in forever.


	4. III

After waking from what felt like the first proper sleep in months, Beth realized that they were driving away from her family- had been for at least a couple hours. Something about that thought made her feel so helpless and alone; although she'd started the day on a high note - Daryl's efforts to make her feel welcome payed off - the second she'd gotten enough sleep to think properly she found herself getting more pessimistic with each passing moment. She passed the time by watching the forest fly by them with sadness in her eyes; She was driving away from any chance she'd see her father and sister again and suddenly it all felt ...pointless.

What was she waitin' for? What was she gonna do-fight for her life only to eventually die by the sides of people who don't care about her? She should've died trying to find her family, replayed her actions in her mind again and again until regret clouded her judgement completely.

After his usually fiery traveling companion woke up, Daryl couldn't help but to see the emptiness in her usually vibrant eyes. She'd woken an hour ago and didn't break the silence between them even once… he didn't need to speak with her to know that she'd lost her spirit. When the caravan pulled to a stop so that Rick and Shane could siphon gas from some abandoned cars, he stayed inside the truck and waited for them to finish as he eyed the young woman beside him. "You okay?" He finally asked, knowing the answer but feeling the need to ask it anyways.

Beth couldn't find the words- chose not to- instead watched in silence as Rick and Shane finished scavenging. They were on the road again before long and the silence started to suffocate them, her sadness heavy in the air. Eventually he prodded once more, "Alive in there?" His eyes were on the road and his voice was low as he spoke.

She still didn't say anything as they finally pulled up to Fort Benning- clearly overrun with too many walkers to stop anywhere near the facility. The walls were down and even if they weren't, there were just too many undead for them to overcome. The group backtracked about thirty minutes before pulling to the side of the abandoned country road; Beth hung back and casually listened to them as they debated where to go next. Daryl stood beside her and smoked a cigarette- looked like he was having a hard time not rolling his eyes at Rick and Shane going back and forth. She felt similarly.

"I need a smoke." Beth finally spoke as the argument they were watching began to get more heated and she found her aggravation level growing. She'd abandoned the prospect of finding her family to follow around two pricks who both wanted to be the Alpha Male and really -it was a nauseating sight. Daryl looked like he was considering whether or not to comply for a few moments before eventually handing her a cigarette and lighting the stick for her.

It was only a minute or two later that Ricks wife- a woman whose name eluded Beth - noticed and scoffed as she marched over to swat the thing from her hand. She had the audacity to start chastising Daryl for complying with the younger girl's wishes, shaking her head as she spoke to him. "You're just going to give a cigarette to someone clearly underage?" She seethed as she stepped on the cigarette that had been discarded. She went on but honestly Beth stopped playing attention after that first belittling question.

Daryl and she seemed to have the same response, although she was a lot more up front about her reaction as she scoffed and cut off the stranger. "I'm nineteen and you aren't my mother." The blonde met the older womans eyes fearlessly - dared her to question the statement with a fiercity in her gaze. Beth had recently lost her entire family; she'll be damned before she lets herself be babied by anyone other than them.

Lori seemed as if she was lost for words as she opened her mouth and closed it several times without replying, Daryl eventually beat her to it. "Lucky if she lives long enough to get cancer." Although the blunt truth should probably make her sad to think about, Beth couldn't help but to appreciate the candor of her new friend. She didn't want to be treated like a child, not after she'd fended for herself for months; not after she'd been forced to toughen up or die.

The woman tossed her hands up after she looked to the others for backup and no one offered it. They didn't know Beth but if she said she was nineteen, was it really their place to tell her what to do? Of course not. Daryl wordlessly handed her a new cigarette and lit it for her, watched as she coughed mildly on the smoke. He'd be willing to bet that she wasn't a smoker - would put money on the fact that she'd lied about her age as well. Slowly the conversation returned to the original subject... their new destination; uninterested in listening to the power struggle she turned to eye the older man beside her. "Thanks." She spoke eventually, the second time she'd said anything in his direction all day. She'd moved her gaze onto the pavement in front of them as she spoke and she had the same pained expression on her face but… at least she was talking.

He hummed in response as he took a hit from his own cigarette, blowing the smoke into the sky above their heads. Beth was surprisingly the one to break the silence again after a few moments, "How come you didn't tell me you could track?" She asked absentmindedly, not trying to sound resentful but fearing he might take it that way regardless. "Back at my family's farm… you could have tracked where they went."

Scoffing, Daryl took one more hit before throwing the butt of his finished cigarette onto the asphalt to the left of him- leaned against the truck lazily as he replied. "Ain't that easy, the trail would've gone cold damn near a week ago." After appearing thoughtful for a few moments he continued, "Besides, you weren't exactly in a listening mood." Thinking back to just a day and a half prior he couldn't help but to smirk at the memory of her determination and intensity, the sight had been extremely endearing. She'd wormed her way into the soft spot of his heart within the first fifteen minutes of meeting.

Beth frowned as she spoke, "I shouldn't have left."

He shrugged his shoulders and watched as she held the cigarette awkwardly in her hand, coughing every other hit she took with happiness in his eyes. She glared in return before he eventually spoke, "You didn't feel like you had a choice."

She was silent for a long time after he reminded her of that… didn't bother saying anything because he was right, she'd honestly felt so helpless. The storm that had passed about a week ago rocked her tiny treehouse so violently that she was almost positive it was going to break apart. Sure, she could have moved into a house by herself but the thought filled her with sadness and honestly… fear. Beth had always felt hyperaware of her size and although she'd never had anyone assault her, she'd always been violently afraid of the thought; She'd walk around with her keys between her fingers after work at her part time job just in case someone attacked. Eventually the words fell out of her mouth without much thought, "I didn't even bury my mom."

Daryl definitely didn't have happiness in his eyes anymore, watched her closely after she'd proclaimed that. He wasn't religious so the thought wouldn't have ever crossed his mind- wasn't sure he'd bury his own brother if he ever found his body. Despite that, he could empathize with the girls pain and it made his heart hurt a bit. In the background, Shane raised his voice about going to D.C. to look for sanctuary. Rick wasn't opposed to the idea - he just wanted to make camp nearby for a few days so that they could stockpile supplies for the drive. Of course, the other man thought it was crucial to get there as soon as possible. "I'm going back." She broke the silence between them once more, thinking again that she'd rather die looking for people she loved than live beside these meatheads who couldn't get along. Alright, Rick seemed like a decent guy. Daryl was definitely a diamond in the rough; potential unrequited crush material, if she was gonna be honest. But as nice as they were, they weren't ever going to be her family.

Shaking his head as he followed her gaze, both watched the two bicker with looks of disdain on their faces. "Gon' die out there by yourself."

"Come with me." She suggested as their eyes met- her big blue doe eyes wide. "I'll go with or without you but…" Glancing down to her feet, her voice dropped slightly. "I don't know how I'm gonna find them alone." Even as she told herself that she wasn't trying to guilt him, she knew she was lying. The thought of being out there again was terrifying; surviving on your own made you feel cold- her best interactions with people were when she was killing the undead ones.

Only once did she encounter people who were alive when she was alone and she'd been amazed at how scared she'd gotten to hear the group of five guys when she was scavenging; her mind went to the worst case scenario and her hands started trembling immediately. In the end, Beth tucked away under a manager's desk in the back of the supermarket- luckily, they never found her. She wasn't sure what would've happened if they had but something in her gut told her it wasn't anything good.

Daryl rolled his eyes at the young woman, scoffing as he spoke- his voice bitter. "I'm done looking for people."

It shouldn't have come as a surprise when she tilted her chin up in defiance and narrowed her eyes- as if him bringing up Sophia made her more determined to find her family...somehow the sight still caught him off caught, found himself admiring the spirit she continued to show in these hard times. He didn't think she was much older than seventeen or eighteen but the strength she had was beyond her years; he had no words to describe her personality other than strong. Beth marched to the passenger side of the car and yanked open the door to retrieve her small backpack from the front seat, hoisting it over both of her shoulders easily. When her back was turned away from him she found herself rolling her eyes, feeling a bit annoyed that he wouldn't help her. The drive was pretty simple from where they were, she'd have to walk along the same road for about eighty miles before she would arrive into the town she often frequented on supply runs.

She was surprised when she turned to thank him for all his help only to discover he'd moved towards the group of others, speaking to Rick and Glenn as he gestured towards her lazily. As she approached she heard the end of his sentence, "...couldn't live with myself." Beth suspected that he might've changed his mind and found herself beaming as she glanced up and made eye contact with the older man.

Glenn had her arms crossed with a thoughtful expression on his face, "How do we know they're still in the area?"

Daryl didn't hesitate to speak candidly, "We don't."

Rick seemed to be considering what to do for a few moments before shaking his head and speaking fiercely. "We'll take a vote." Daryl looked surprised at the reaction- like he expected them to happily bid him adieu. Instead the leader of the group spoke in a tone that commanded attention, "Daryl and Beth are backtracking in attempt to find her family. The way I see it we have two options: we can do what Shane suggests and head to D.C… now I believe there is a town out there for us ...somewhere but we know for a fact that Beth has family close by; we could make a camp and get our bearings before deciding where to go next. I wouldn't feel right letting them off by themselves but it isn't my choice. That's up to you all."

Dale was the first to vote in favor of finding her family; Glenn, Andrea and T-dog were the next to vocally support it. Lori was next and Carol didn't vote either way- said she was along for the ride. Shane scoffed and slammed the door to his vehicle as he got into the driver's seat, obviously knowing he was outnumbered.

Beth nudged Daryl's side as they all started to walk to their perspective vehicles, "Thank you, Mr. Dixon." As they reached the reached the car, she spoke again. "We should stay on my family's old farm," The girl found herself suggesting before they got inside. "Only the sliding glass door was broken, we can cover it easily." If it was anyone else, he would've dismissed her and reminded her about the beautiful vacant home they'd found when they were searching for her family. Instead, he watched her face as she suggested it; she was trying to seem nonchalant but the girl still carried a sad air to her.

He hummed in agreement and told Rick to follow them, the caravan leaving with his truck leading the way.

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Authors Note: I know this is kinda a filler chapter but I really didn't feel like Beth would be okay just leaving her family and … here we are. This chapter is dedicated to anyone who followed the story- I'm pretty surprised how many followers it already has, you guys are awesome! Reviews really get me writing faster so if you're enjoying this let me know please! xo

P.s. if you follow Be Good, look out for a new chapter very soon!


	5. IV

Maybe because she was awake for the entire ride, maybe because she was anxious to get back home but going back to the farm felt like it took a lot longer than the drive to Fort Benning did. Beth couldn't help but to beam at Daryl as his eyes were focused on the road, thinking about how lucky she was that they found each other in the woods. Well, she was lucky to have found him. As if he'd read her mind, he reached into the glove compartment and pulled out a rather large, sheathed knife and held it out for her to take.

She did just that, grabbing it from his grip and eyeing the knife as she spoke: "Thanks but I already have one." The pocketknife in question felt heavy in her front pocket— reminding her silently that it was there for her protection.

He scoffed as a reply, taking his eyes off the road for a few moments to give her sideways glance. "Damn near miracle you survived with that piece of shit." She knew he was right but that's why she loved the tiny blade— it felt like a good luck charm. Still, it didn't hurt to have backup.

As she buckled the sheath onto her blue jeans, she found herself smiling in his direction once again. "Thanks." She replied after a few minutes, pulling the blade from it's holster to examine it. This blade was definitely bigger than the one she currently used, she imagined it'd make her feel more secure when she was alone in the wilderness. The idea that he thought enough to give her the new weapon made her feel pretty special, so after she holstered it again she leaned over and placed a quick, chaste kiss on his cheek. Daryl sent her another sideways glance, this one a lot softer than the first one. She was already looking out the window once again so she didn't see the fond look in his eyes as he gazed his companion, slightly red from the display of affection.

The farm didn't have any walkers loitering about as they pulled up but the bodies from the other day were still scattered around the barn; the second the truck was parked, Beth got out of the passenger seat with her backpack in hand and made her way towards the front door to investigate the house once again. She shouldn't have been surprised to find it empty but still, the fact that she did had her frowning as she tossed her bag onto the couch in the living room. Determination was set in her eyes as she marched towards the back of the house— towards where they kept the shovels after moving all the tools from the barn when the sickness started. Without wasting any time, she began to dig under her mothers favorite shade tree near the barn.

She was far enough away that she could watch Rick and Shane argue in front of the house without hearing them (she was new to the group but could already tell that this was a common occurrence.) As they stood in front of the house, Andrea and Carol were carrying sheets of wood from the barn and bringing them towards the back of the house, Beth could only assume they were patching up the broken door. Daryl walked off with his bow not long after arriving, she wasn't sure if he was hunting or looking for her loved ones— maybe both. Dale was sitting atop his RV with a shotgun in hand, keeping watch for any roamers that might find their way to the property— T-dog was keeping him company, the two looking as if they were having a good conversation.

After eyeing the group for a few seconds, she returned to her laborious task at hand. The ground was rough in that area and her hands had began to callous before even getting an inch into the earth, making her groan to herself as she thought about how bad they'd be after she finished digging several feet. Glancing up in surprise when another shovel joined hers, she smiled when she realized it was Glenn. They hadn't really talked at all but he had kind features and she'd instantly felt comfortable around him. They dug in silence for a while until both needed to take a break, Beth leaned against the trunk of the tree as Glenn simply basked in the shade. "Who's this for?" He asked softly, obviously wanting to remain supportive despite the fact that he didn't know how to approach the topic.

Staring at her feet as she spoke, Beth didn't bother to try to hide the frown on her face. "My mom." She divulged, pointing to the body about ten feet away. Rick and Shane were finally done arguing and had started to drag the various corpuses into a pile on the far side of the property- obviously planning on burning them after they were finished. "Will you help me move her?" She asked after a few moments of watching them; truthfully, she was growing more fearful they'd take her mom without realizing with each passing second. Sure, they could easily retrieve her from the pile before they burnt it but the thought of seeing her tossed away like old garbage would be enough to break the blonde.

The two carried her body under the shade and Beth untied the jacket from around her waist to place the cloth over her moms decaying skull. The smell emanating from the corpse was terrible enough to get them digging once again, the Georgia heat beating into their backs harshly. By the time they'd finished the entire project— her mom peacefully in her final resting place — they collapsed near the tree trunk in exhaustion. The sun would be setting in about an hour now and everyone else was finishing their collective projects: Carol, Lori and Andrea were sitting on the front steps of the house while Rick and Shane were talking near the pile of burning corpses. Carl was running along the big empty field, probably full of energy after being cramped inside a car for most of the day. "Who'd you get separated from?" Glenn eventually broke the ice again, knowing they'd returned in search of her family.

Truth be told, it made her heart ache to even think about them. She knew she had to though— that's life, you can't pretend you aren't hurt. You've got to own up to the pain and try to power through it in whatever way you know how. She took a sip from her bottle of water and offered to to Glenn, who accepted the offer almost immediately. "My dad and my sister, Maggie." She frowned as she stared at the loose brown patch of earth in the place they'd buried her mother, unable to take her eyes off the spot. The fact that she'd lost her still hadn't processed despite the fact that it'd been months— just like she expected her father to appear from out of the house and ask her what the hell all those strangers were doing on their property. "Part of me wants to live for them and part of me wants to end it all." She admitted candidly, knowing he wouldn't know what to say but unable to stop herself.

Almost two whole months she'd been alone and contemplating suicide. The idea seemed better with each passing day and if Daryl hand't stumbled upon her little home, she would've been dead in at least a week. Even now, the young girl couldn't shake the thought from her mind. It seemed like the best option when the others were starving to death, getting eaten alive by a mob or becoming the meal of some undead asshole (only to turn into an undead asshole and continue the vicious cycle.) "You don't think we're going to find them?" He questioned as he took another gulp of water before handing back the clear plastic.

She accepted the bottle and finished off the last of the liquid. Shrugging, she decided to let him into the darkness that was her mind. "Even if we do, what then? Wait around until this farm is overrun and die then?" The silence that hung between them was heavy but eventually she continued with a slightly lighter tone, "It just seems so pointless… but I'm tryin'. I know they'd want me to keep fighting but they aren't here and it just feels…" Useless, she finished in her mind.

Once again they let the silence overcome them; It wasn't an uncomfortable pause but a thoughtful one, each lost in their own minds. "You should talk to Andrea," He eventually spoke, "She just lost her sister and I know she's going through some similar feelings about everything."

Looking back towards the porch, she noticed the women went inside; Andrea put on a though facade, Beth never would have guessed she'd be one to have suicidal thoughts. Then again, can you ever guess that sort of thing? That's got to be the scariest part of getting close to people, you never know what's running through their head; no matter how hard you try to comfort them or be good enough for them, people tend to be unpredictable at best. "Yeah, okay." She agreed without any actual intentions to talk to the other blonde. "Thanks."

Beth wasn't trying to judge these people too harshly, really she wasn't… She just had no desire to bond with them. She didn't want to find the good in people, not when she felt so dark within herself. The teenager in her wanted to stomp her feet and whine about not having her family; it's one thing to go through an apocalypse, it's another thing to go through an apocalypse without any of your loved ones. Sure, she could make new loved ones but… why? So she could lose them too?

Although her mind seemed set on being pessimistic, as they walked back towards the house for the night she knew her heart had other plans. Daryl wormed his way into the center of the organ and she felt it beat more heavily in his presence, hyperaware of him more so than anyone else. Already, she appreciated Glenn for being there for her when everyone else seemed to forget she existed. She saw herself in the pure heart of Dale and the kind nature of Rick. Her heart even went out to the mothers in the group, who either lost their loved ones or were likely to in the future.

Desperately she wanted to be cold and detach but it wasn't in her nature. Ever since childhood she'd been the sensitive one in the family and it seemed that no matter how much she tried to change that fact, it wasn't going to work in her favor anytime soon. "Sounds like they're eating." Glenn spoke as they approached the front porch, the sounds of spoons hitting dishes easily recognizable through the screen door. He approached it quickly —held the creaky door open for her before turning back to see her leaning against the wooden railing casually, not in any hurry to join the others. "You coming?" He asked kindly, the look in his eyes showing just how concerned he actually was for the stranger.

She found herself wondering how he could go through this life with such a bleeding heart for everyone. Beth needed to detach from her feelings because if she didn't, they'd eat her alive— make her do something she might regret down the line. Glenn could walk through life feeling everything and still seem stable… without meaning to, she felt envious about that fact. "You go on." She muttered with a smile plastered on her face, hoping he'd give her some peace and quiet. It seemed he was able to see through the fake happiness because although he nodded, the look of concern never faltered as he turned towards the house and walked inside.

Hyperaware that Daryl had yet to return from his journey, Beth decided to pass the time waiting for him by fetching some water from their most frequently used well. Bringing a bucket with her towards the edge of their tree line, she pumped the well until the bucket was nearly too heavy for her to carry. The sun was setting on the horizon now and she found herself growing worried… walking back to the house with the water in hand—sloshing side to side with each step she took, she set the bucket near the front door before taking a seat on a step leading up to their back porch; her eyes constantly scanning the tree lines for her new friend. If she lost him right now, she'd be fine. After losing so many people, you start getting more surprised when they survive instead of the opposite. Still… if she didn't already feel alone, his disappearance would put the final nail in her coffin.

It was dark when he finally submerged from the forest looking no worse for the wear, as if he'd simply went on a nice little stroll through the wilderness. She didn't get up but he sat beside her when he got close enough to the house, neither speaking for about ten minutes after his arrival. The fact that he showed up alone spoke volumes and answered any question she may have had. The sadness in her voice was evident despite the fact that it was almost too dark to see her expression properly, "I'm glad I didn't say goodbye." Her bitter words rang out, "I hate goodbyes."

Daryl didn't tell her so but he agreed full heartedly, instead chose the route he wasn't exactly known for. "Could be alive." Even as he said the words they sounded pessimistic to his own ears; there was no way in hell Beth believed them anymore than he did. "In the morning we can get a proper search goin'."

The small smile she sent his way showed him that she appreciated the effort, as half-assed as it may be. He sat beside her for probably an hour before either spoke again, her voice echoing extremely loudly compared to the eerily silent night. "Have you ever been in love?" She asked, turning her head to see him shake his own; probably wondering where she was going with the train of thought. "When everything happened I was with my boyfriend Jimmy, he ended up staying here on the farm with us." A few beats passed as she collected her thoughts, "Instead of being happy to have him for support I remember thinking that being with him was a burden, like I was stuck bein' married to him just because the world ended when we were dating."

Pausing once more, she eventually continued: "I guess I just wonder what it'd be like to feel blessed to be stuck with someone— like they were what I was living for." Once again, she took a few beats before deciding what she wanted to add. "Wish I'd experienced that at least once."

The stoically quiet Daryl finally broke his silence after she finished the thought, sending her a sidelong glance that made her stomach quiver. If he didn't stop looking at her like that, she'd have a serious crush on her hands. Something told her it wouldn't be requited and she wanted to avoid unrequited love for as long as possible— that was an emotion best saved for a world without walkers. "You ain't dead yet." He muttered, his voice gravely as ever.

Scoffing, she turned her eyes to the cloudless sky above. The stars were brilliant without any light pollution to hide them and she found herself thankful for that fact; their farm was pretty remote but even so, there's no way they would have seen anything close before the apocalypse happened. "Might as well be." She muttered sadly, knowing how enivtable death was in this new world. It's always been enivtable but now it seemed like it was right around the corner instead of sixty years down the road. He didn't reply— maybe he saw her point, maybe he didn't think it was worth arguing— but eventually she broke the silence again. "What was your brother like?"

His voice was considerably lighter when he spoke about his brother, she could hear the small smile on his face: "He was a real asshole." He didn't need to elaborate for her to know that he loved him regardless, just as she loved Shawn despite his slight superiority complex.

Mimicking his earlier words, she nudged his shoulder softly. "He could be alive." Just as she hadn't believed him earlier, the words seemed lost on Daryl as well. "I miss my brother too." She added softly after a few minutes of silence had passed.

When they eventually went inside, everyone had already claimed their sleeping arrangements for the night and the house felt extremely full. Daryl must have noticed that even Dale was asleep inside the house because after a few moments of looking around, he nudged Beth and jerked his head towards the front door. Grabbing her backpack on the way out, they headed outside and towards the RV a few feet away.

Sure enough, it was empty and waiting for them. After making herself comfortable on the queen bed in the back of the vehicle and laying for a few minutes, she realized that he didn't have any intention of coming to sleep beside her. Standing once more and walking towards the front of the motor home, she rolled her eyes to find him laying on the narrow floor near the entrance. "Don't be stupid, come on." She muttered, gesturing her head towards the back of the vehicle. After waiting a few minutes for him to reply, he eventually waved her off from his spot on the floor. "Suit yourself." She muttered bitterly, rolling her eyes as she retreated to the back once more.

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Authors Note: I know this story is super slow but hopefully y'all will stick it out with me! Shout out to my lovely, lovely reviewers— reviews are like crack to me, I will literally refresh my email a million times a day in hopes one of you readers left me some love. That being said, this chapter is for you guys: **Str1der2015, Reignashii, Asalea and Lotus11!**


	6. V

When Daryl woke up on the following morning, he stepped outside of Dale's old RV and his eyes fell on her wilted frame at once; soft blonde curls falling over her face as she sat next to the freshly loosened soil. He found himself wondering what time she woke up, thinking that she'd probably have to climb onto the seats and jump around him if she wanted to get out of the RV without waking him. The thought made him smile slightly as he walked into the house he could only assume she'd been raised in, noticing that the others already laid out food for breakfast; the farm had a peach tree, so that was the main thing on the menu.

Dale, Andrea, Lori and Carl were all sitting around the dining room with a map spread before them, obviously speaking about Beth's family before he entered the room… as he approached they fell silent and he found himself raising an eyebrow in their direction. "What's up?"

Never one to beat around the bush, Andrea spoke up: "We were just talking about the likelihood of finding the rest of her family." Her gaze went from him towards the front of the house, where the sorrowful looking blonde girl was visible through a huge window. Daryl didn't reply as he grabbed a peach and took a bite, turning around so that he could keep an eye her while he ate. Finding her family was different than finding Sophia, they were adults and it's very likely they've already left the immediate area. Unlike Sophia who would've barely survived, these people might be doing okay for themselves all things considered.

Someone had broken the map into sections, making it easier to plan different search parties. Not that they had too many people to go out looking anyways- it felt like the group was getting smaller each day, despite the fact that they hadn't lost anyone since Sophia. T-dog was laying on the couch in the living room with a harsh sweat all over his face, looking extremely uncomfortable; They hadn't realized the extent of his wounded arm until the night prior when Carol examined the gash with wide eyes. As Daryl's eyes fell on the ill man, Dale spoke up: "I think your brothers medicine is working."

In the background, T-dog muttered to himself: "It sure is taking it's damn time."

Humming to indicate he'd heard the older man, Daryl grabbed an extra peach and eyed the map once more before speaking. "We'll take this section."

Lori had her head tilted with concern in her gaze, "Are you sure you don't want to rest? Between searching for Sophia the last week and Beth's family yesterday, you gotta be tired. I'm sure she would understand."

Rolling his eyes as he grabbed another peach, it took quite a bit of self restraint to not tell her to fuck off and mind her own business; truthfully, it was because he really was tired that he didn't. She'd read him well and that annoyed him to no end. "We're having a funeral for Sophia today." Carl spoke up with wide, sad eyes- staring at the older man expectantly.

He grunted in reply and left the dining room just as swiftly as he'd entered, his gaze running over the property more closely this time. Rick and Glenn were under a tree on the edge of the field digging; Carol was pumping water from the well on the opposite side of the property and he found himself making his way towards her with a frown on his face. Truthfully, he'd been ignoring the woman since they found out about Sophia. They sat in silence as she ate the peach he handed her; took a moment to eye the person he felt closest to. She looked tired and sad, strong while also slightly...unhinged- as if she was trying to be tough but there were cracks in her armor. "They're plannin' a funeral." He finally spoke after a few minutes passed.

"I know." She replied eventually, her voice at ease but her eyes troubled. "I'm not going."

Trying desperately to imagine a reason to avoid it, he finally spoke after failing to find one: "That's your little girl…" He spoke gently, his eyes firmly on her as the words left his mouth. She broke eye contact as he spoke but met his gaze with a more stoic one after getting lost in her own thoughts for a few seconds.

"That isn't Sophia." She spoke with a soft determination. "That's some other…. thing. My little girl died a long time ago."

He didn't know how to argue with that or if it was even his place to do so. Sophia was her daughter and if she didn't want to go, no one should force her. "Yea, well.. don't come cryin' to me when you regret it." He mumbled, waving a hand goodbye as he made his way towards the shady tree near the barn.

Beth looked up once he approached, catching the piece of fruit he tossed her way with surprisingly quick reflexes. He expected her to be crying as she sat beside the grave and although a hint of sadness was visible on her face- more prominent was a tough exterior, the face of someone who's forced herself to be strong for a lot longer than he gave her credit for. He found it interesting how quickly her moods changed; yesterday she'd looked rather hopeless and today she looked like she was ready to kick ass if it was necessary.

When he pointed out her energetic demeanor, she shrugged and stared at the grave in front of her. "Momma used to say that there isn't anything a good night's sleep can't fix... I'm just tryin' to be optimistic." His heart broke as he thought about how optimistic he'd been that they'd find Sophia, thinking about how devastated she was going to be to find out that they're probably already dead or long gone.

"We ain't gonna find them." He found himself snapping at her, knowing he was just channeling his own pain about Sophia…. More than that though, he was trying to prepare her for the heartache to come. He hadn't prepared himself properly for that little girl's death and wouldn't wish that sort of blissful ignorance on anyone. As she finished her peach and sent him an annoyed look, he raised an eyebrow towards the girl- his eyes softening slightly as they met hers. "You comin' or what?"

She knew without asking what he meant, standing rather quickly and dusting the dirt from her knees. Truthfully, she was surprised he was even recruiting her to search with him in the first place. "You aren't gonna stay for the service?" She couldn't help but to ask gently as she gazed towards where Glenn and Rick were digging with a small frown.

Scoffing quickly, he shook his head. "I didn't know that damn girl." Turning towards the RV, he called over his shoulder curtly: "Be ready in 10."

Beth didn't know Daryl but it didn't take a genius to see that he couldn't handle his emotions very well, her eyes locked to the angel wings sewn on the back of his leather vest as he walked away.

As they walked through the forest, he made sure to explain what to look for when trying to track something. Well… sort of, she had to strain her ears to make out what the mumbles meant but after about half an hour of trying to decipher what he was saying, she felt she was starting to get the hang of it. They were surely following something, although who the hell knew what it was- he still hadn't explained that. Eventually the two approached a house in the area- one they'd searched when they were looking on horses only a few days prior, except this time they were following a trail through the wilderness that lead them straight to the back of the property. They submerged from the forest near the basement door around the back of the house. As the tracks got clearer and easier to recognize, Daryl elaborated a bit: "It looks like two people walking in tandem- but one set of footprints is unbalanced, if you look at the dirt it seems like they were dragging one of their feet behind them. Limpin'."

The thought made her tighten her lip, knowing it could've very well been a fatal wound. Any wound is potentially fatal these days. As they approached the door, another noise to the left distracted them back- when Daryl moved towards the lone walker, she found herself reaching out and grabbing his arm to stop him. "I need to do this." She mumbled with determination in her eyes-tears building up despite her attempts to look tough, moving passed him quickly and retrieving the blade he'd given her without hesitation. After struggling with Shawn for a few moments, she eventually was able to get a clean stab- watched him fall with the tears finally spilling down her cheeks. "He was my brother."

Daryl was surprised that she didn't seem more hysterical, like she did when she saw her mother as a walker for the first time. Instead she stood there calmly with the tears running down her cheeks, tears that she wiped away angrily after a few moments of wallowing. Before long, they were both turning back towards the basement once again.

She didn't need to be a tracker to figure out that someone had been staying here- couldn't tell if they still were or not, though; there were a few personal items but they could've been left behind; she found herself glancing at Daryl after a few minutes of looking around. He shook his head in response, speaking after surveying the room thoroughly himself. "Whoever was stayin' here hasn't been back anytime recent."

With a small sigh, Beth grabbed a shovel from the corner and abruptly retreated back up the stairs towards where she'd left her brother. Daryl stayed down in the basement a while longer, looking more closely for any clues pointing towards her family. After a few minutes of looking, his eyes caught on a tiny gold circle on the ground near his foot- so little he'd almost missed it entirely. An earring.

He handed her the piece of jewelry after joining her outside with another shovel, watching her eyes widen as she inspected the item. "Maggie never took these off… it must've fallen off before they left." With a small frown, she tucked the tiny piece of jewelry in the front pocket of her jeans.

They dug in silence for an hour or two, eventually covering her brother's body and taking a seat beside the loose soil. "Got time to search for a few more hours before goin' back." He eventually spoke, cautiously… unsure if she wanted to hear anything from anyone.

Instead of replying directly, she spoke with distance in her voice; like her mind was far away from the neighbors yard they were currently perched in. "My brother was kind of an asshole too, sometimes." She spoke with fondness in her voice, "But he always tried to make me feel included, you know? Always tried to make me feel loved…Not that it was hard to feel that way, my family was always supportive."

"You're lucky." Daryl replied simply and she could tell by the look on his face that he hadn't been as lucky himself, that he'd had a rough childhood. He didn't seem to resent her for it, though. Instead, he spoke from a place of fragile honesty. "I never had that."

Beth frowned in his direction as their met eyes again, hers strangely optimistic despite just burying two relatives. "I think I want to live...I know that sounds stupid but I hadn't been sure until now. I didn't want to tell you, didn't want to look weak but… even if we can't find my family, I want to be strong for them. For myself, I don't know… I feel like I buried a part of myself with them... but I don't think that's a bad thing. Maybe we all have to bury our past before we can truly live in this fucked up world."

He was silent for a long time, so long that she was actually the one to break the silence after several minutes passed. "At least you have that family now." Her tone was soft as she referred to the group, didn't blink an eye when he shook his head like she knew he would. Daryl didn't realize how much he truly loved the people he traveled with yet, maybe wouldn't show it regardless if he felt it… but she could feel it in her bones. He hadn't felt appreciated until he started traveling with them, hadn't felt worthy of love.

They searched for several hours that day, returning to the farm with nothing to show for it other than the one lost earring.

* * *

Beth returned to her bedroom for the first time that night, staring at the pictures on her dresser as if they belonged to someone else. Carl had been staying in the room but other than the few plastic toys scattered about, it remained the same as it did before she lost everyone she loved. For some reason, it didn't feel like hers anymore anyways. When Lori passed by the doorway and saw her, the woman asked if she wanted her room back.

"No, thank you." She didn't want to remember what life was like before, it'd only make her wish for something she'd never get back. Instead she grabbed a few changes of clothes and a better pair of sneakers, walking away from her childhood bedroom without a single glance back.

* * *

At night, it felt like her old farmhouse was alive. There were a lot of people walking around the little home and it reminded her of Thanksgiving dinners with her extended family- Christmas mornings with all of her relatives. Times when you couldn't walk three feet without running into another person.

It was times like these that she forgot that she wasn't Beth Greene: daughter, choir girl, babysitter anymore; she was Beth Greene: the survivor, warrior, lone wolf. In those moments, she found herself gravitating towards the old family piano. The words slipped out of her lips before she realized she'd muttered them -after coming down to reality, Dale encouraged her to continue. "It's been too long since I've heard anything beautiful," He egged lightly, seemingly pleased as she sang louder next time.

Before long the entire camp congregated from different corners of her old house towards the living room; she played the Parting Glass, thinking of her wonderful family and the life they were all saying goodbye to. Thinking of her life, which was still just beginning.

* * *

A/N: Hey guys! I know it's been a very long time without an update and I truly apologize, it hasn't been for a lack of trying! I keep sitting down with the document open and staring blankly at my screen. I haven't given up on this lil cutie though, I really enjoy writing this story. Reviews encourage me to write more quickly, so if you're enjoying this story please let me know!

This chapter is dedicated to Reignashii, Asalea, sweetbabyboo, begginstrip and the guest who reviewed!


	7. VI

"What's on the list?" Beth asked casually as she glanced around the store she'd been a hundred times before the outbreak. The small pharmacy in town was well stocked still, a cardboard sign placed in the front window that encouraged people to 'take what they need and god bless.'

Glenn reached into his pocket to grab the list, unfolding the piece of paper as he spoke. "Any chance you want to go see what antibiotics are left while I get started on this bad boy?"

"Sounds like a plan." She agreed easily, making her way towards the back of the establishment. Finding the medicine turned out to be surprisingly easy and before she knew it was making her way towards the front of the pharmacy with several boxes of antibiotics in her hands. Glenn was holding a pregnancy test and looking like a deer in the headlights, as if he hadn't expected her to be so quick fetching the medicine.

Naturally, the first question to leave her mouth was "who is that for?"

Looking more and more troubled, Glenn frowned at the blonde as he put the box in a brown bag. "I promised to keep it a secret."

Beth frowned right back at him, "But you got caught and now I'm curious. C'mon, I won't tell anyone… I don't talk to anyone other than you and Daryl."

"A destructive behavior that I do not condone, by the way. You're isolating yourself."

"You need to stop changing the subject and spill the beans. We're scavenging buddies, I thought our relationship was beyond this!"

"It's Lori, okay? Just don't tell anyone."

"Of course not."

Glenn couldn't help but to give his friend a suspicious look, her innocent act seemed entirely too convenient. He had a sneaking suspicion that every secret he shared with her would be talked about with the big-hearted loner, Daryl Dixon. Luckily the older man wasn't known for being particularly chatty.

* * *

They were having a fire one night when Andrea approached her; everyone else was sitting around it but Beth was watching them from the front porch, feeling like she was a part of something while also feeling more isolated than she'd care to admit. Oh well, she'd done that to herself.

The two blonde women hadn't had much time to bond- with reason, Beth had been making a point to isolate herself from the rest of the group. Although she was putting on a tough facade, it was apparent to everyone that the girl was somewhat unhappy. Surprisingly, it was the younger girl who spoke first. With a dark humor that she suspected someone like Andrea could appreciate, Beth spoke: "Do you ever think about the world and just kinda… want to kill yourself?" She asked this dryly, as if she already knew the answer.

The older woman laughed, "Yeah… yeah, I can relate to the sentiment." After Andrea finished laughing, however, she got serious and told her that it would get easier. Offered to give her shooting lessons, if she ever got the desire to learn.

Beth contemplated the offer for a moment before agreeing… and just like that, she had three friends. Her heart felt just a little bit lighter.

* * *

The sun wasn't even up yet but Beth Greene was sitting in the kitchen of her family home with a cup of coffee and one of the last peaches of the season in front of her. Maybe one of the last times she'll eat a peach from the family tree. Although she wanted to be alone, the girl smiled politely at Dale when he entered the kitchen and poured himself a glass. Inwardly cringed when he took the seat beside her… still she'd been raised to be polite and started the conversation, "Sleep alright?"

"No complaints here. How about you?" The way he asked the question made it seem as if he was trying to get through to her, like he knew somehow that she didn't sleep with all the nightmares plaguing her dreams.

An overwhelming feeling of melancholy had taken over her when she woke up on that particular day. It hit her that it'd been about a month since she'd last gone looking for her family and something in her stomach told her that she'd never see them again. "Yeah. Same." Her head was in another place and it didn't take an idiot to figure that out.

"If you ever want to talk, I'm here. We're all here." Dale had a sincerity about him that reminded her of Maggie and his big heart reminded her of her dad. His words resonated but she'd already known they would be around if she ever needed them- she just didn't want to need them.

"I just.. I can't stop thinking about who will be next. I used to occupy my thoughts worryin' about my family but I think…" Deep breath, sigh. "I think they might be dead. And now I can't stop wondering which one of us will follow their lead."

He nodded, casually taking a sip of his coffee. "They might be dead... but they might be alive. I don't know about you but that's good enough for me. We're all going to survive this if we just stick together, Beth. I know it seems hopeless but you can't let that negative garbage in for even a second."

Somehow, the old man knew just what to say to make the sadness dissipate.

* * *

Despite a few hiccups between Rick and Shane, the group survived harmoniously under the sheriff's leadership in the following months. The weather was slowly getting colder and the group more comfortable on the farm; as Beth smoked a cigarette with Daryl beside the barn one day she couldn't help but to bring that thought to the front of their attention. "I haven't felt this safe since the day I got separated from my family." Flicking the ashes and watching the smoke rise before speaking again, she paused to give her companion a sideways glance. "Ten minutes before Otis got bitten we were all sitting on the porch and laughing over nothin'. Sure, we still carried the weight of our losses… but we were content. Still believed we'd be rescued any day."

Perceptive as always, Daryl took a hit of his own cigarette before replying. "Think we're getting too comfortable?" He couldn't help but to ask that question- had been thinking the same thing himself recently. Everything was going too well for them and the realization made him slightly paranoid.

Beth shrugged, "I don't think it's a crazy thought but what do I know? I'm just a _child..._ " Over the last few months of searching for her family, she's began lightening up around her older companion… Enjoyed flirting with him a little too much, probably. Every time she did he'd scoff dismissively (but she saw how red his cheeks got- of course, this only encouraged her.) It seemed like he had to constantly remind himself that she was too young for him, something especially difficult once he realized what an old soul she had. The blonde oftentimes seemed more wise than Lori or Andrea, was always thoughtful and insightful when she chose to open up.

Last week she had gotten a little too close inside his personal space and it made him so flustered that he took several steps away and nearly shouted that she was a child- that he couldn't deal with her at the moment. Her previous comment was obviously a jab at the incident- something she acted like didn't affect her but he could see on her face that he had hurt her more than she let on.

"I love this farm. I was raised here and almost all of my happy memories took place on this property." After a few puffs, she continued. "But more walkers keep making their way here everyday and we don't really have any substantial fences. If a herd big enough rolls through, we're screwed… No one really seems worried."

A few more seconds passed before she continued, "I'm not gonna be the one to mention it." They finished their cigarettes in silence and grabbed their supplies, making way towards the lush greenery of the forest. She was proud of how much progress she'd made in the last few months; her shot was getting better with each day and she started to go on runs almost every time Glenn went out. Hunting and tracking with Daryl for months made her feel like a professional, she was able to tell what they were tracking long before he explained things.

A few months ago, he would teach her to track while they searched for her family… as the weeks passed, they looked for her family less and hunted more. Now it was rare they go to look for them at all.

That day they were going out to hunt, gone for several hours as they tracked a deer. The duo had stricken luck with their traps, finding two rabbits wrapped up in the ropes they'd set. Daryl was carrying the venison, enough to take all of his attention so it was Beth who ended up gently grabbing the small animals from the rope, her face neutral as she stuffed them into her backpack; a sight so casual that it jarred him to see. The blonde held onto her humanity tightly while also training her inner warrior… the two things seemed so contradictory that he couldn't help but to admire her. He'd always had trouble being vulnerable but she was a prime example of sensitivity being a strength instead of a weakness.

It was a couple miles back to the farm and the two walked in a comfortable silence for the majority of the trip, only pausing once at a small stream to rinse the blood from their hands. It was surprisingly Daryl who broke the silence, lighting a cigarette as he gazed at her from a few feet away. "Think they're alive?" About a month had passed without much talk of the likelihood of her family's survival.

She put out a palm and smiled when he handed her a cigarette of her own. Making her way to the tree he was leaning against, she took a seat on an overgrown root near his feet as she lit her tobacco. "I thought so." Her voice was soft, slightly discouraged. "About a month ago, the fact that I'll probably never see them again set in. Or started to, at least… I don't know if I'll ever be used to living life without them." They smoked for a few more minutes in silence before she continued the thought. "I genuinely believe that my dad would come back if he was forced to leave for some reason… Maggie would leave in a heartbeat without looking back but my dad loved everything about the farm. The fact that he hasn't returned isn't sitting right in my stomach."

"... you started smokin' about a month ago." Daryl casually mentioned this as they put their backpacks back on and started the trek home, him taking the rear.

He nearly bumped into her as she paused to give him a dirty look over her shoulder. "And?"

The archer impatiently nudged her shoulder- urging her to continue walking, "just pointin out how you handle stress, princess."

"Dad wouldn't have approved. But he isn't exactly around anymore, so." She was attempting to sound cool and casual but all he could hear was the pain behind her words, his heart aching as he realized the real reason she became his smoking buddy. Selfishly, he loved the company.

After all the flirting, she eventually admitted that she was only sixteen. Only to him though: her smoking buddy, best friend, the only person she knew who wouldn't treat her differently because of her age. And despite him making sure to keep his distance when she jokingly went in for a kiss, the man truly treated her like the adult that she was. "Did I tell you that Carl brought me breakfast yesterday?" The tone she was using now was considerably lighter, didn't hold the layer of pain that her previous comment had. She sounded amused as she reminisced on the younger boy trying to capture her affection, a small smile surely settling on her face as the subject changed.

His own smile crept up as he remembered seeing the awkward transaction. She'd been reading under the shade tree they had buried her mother under when the boy made his way to her with a plate from the kitchen, oversized sheriffs hat on his head and an earnest smile on his face.

Daryl had been in the kitchen eating his own breakfast when Carl and Lori came in; the boy had already ate so when Daryl noticed him making another plate, he tilted his head in curiosity and watched closely… assumed the sheriff's son was just taking an extra portion but Lori was quick to explain the situation with an amused smile. Daryl wasn't about to miss the awkward sight, finished off his plate just as Carl gleefully left the room; followed him out to watch the exchange from the front porch.

"Maybe he'll wash your clothes next time." He couldn't help but to suggest with a small smile, remembering the odd feeling that struck him as Beth smiled at the younger boy and accepted the plate. He wasn't jealous of a nine year old… truly. He didn't like her like that.

"Maybe we'll date. After all, we're both just a couple of children. Why not?"

Daryl snorted slightly as he laughed, something that made Beth giggle to herself in response. "Ain't gettin lucky until his balls drop."

"I don't really want to think about his pre pubescent balls, to be honest…"

"He's your boyfriend." Daryl mumbled with his hands raised, as if he wasn't the one who initially brought the topic up. Beth shook her head with a small smile on her face.

"I'm probably going to be dead before I'm legal, you know." He didn't reply but when she glanced over her shoulder, the man was shaking his head and frowning in her direction. "Just sayin." She shrugged, not trying to get too serious again but.. it was the truth. There was no guarantee that any of them would make it another week.

She counted on him and he slowly started depending on her as well; Beth hadn't ever encountered a bond as deep and sure, most of that bond was rooted in friendship but there were things that made her certain that they had the potential to be more. The way he gazed at her when he thought she wasn't looking, the way her stomach goes crazy in his presence. She wasn't the overly earnest child in this circumstance, she wasn't being the Carl of their friendship.

At least, that's what she kept telling herself. Each day she felt more and more silly for attempting to flirt. She'd decided a while ago that it was time to give up. The thought just sort of… slipped out of her mind when she was around him. Something about Daryl drove her crazy.

When they stumbled onto a neighbor's yard Beth turned around to face him with a look of confusion on her face, waiting to speak until after he dropped the meat he was carrying onto the ground beside them. The blanket wrapping the venison kept it somewhat clean. "Did you know I was going in the wrong direction?" She couldn't help but to ask, her face red. She'd been sure she was heading back towards the farm but the location of this house told her she hadn't been close at all.

This large property was a couple miles away from her family farm - a surprisingly well maintained house and also well stocked, if she remembered correctly. There had been a lot of canned food in the cabinets when they first searched the house and that thought popped into her head at the same time as Daryl spoke. "Did realize 'til we were about an hour in… might as well scavenge while we're here."

He took the lead as they walked to the front door and opened it easily. The curtains were open and the house was well-lit as a side effect, making the whole experience seem much more pleasant than the first time she'd come. "Were those open the last time we were here?" She asked suspiciously, knowing for a fact that they weren't. It'd been dark during the day- she remembered vividly, had thought that the depressing feel matched her mood at the time.

And truthfully, they'd searched the house several months ago now… the idea that someone else might've started occupying it hit her probably around the same time it hit Daryl. "Stay back." He advised with his bow raised, clearing each room as quickly and thoroughly as he could.

Beth never had a problem listening to orders - she was a good girl, truly. But she'd also learned a lot in the last few months… she wasn't about to stand around and act helpless. Taking out the knife that Daryl had gifted her, she made her way to the kitchen. After a few minutes of searching the cabinets, she heard him speak her name in the other room; obviously looking for her now that he finished clearing the house. "I'm in here!" She called back softly.

When he joined her, she gestured to the empty shelves. "Most of it's gone." Zipping up the backpack beside her easily, she added: "There were a couple cans of corn and beans but it was pretty bare other than that." Maggie hated corn and her father hated beans. Not that she was about to share that information.

He had a look on his face that made her think that he wanted to say something about her not waiting for him before going into the kitchen but in the end he just sighed and nodded his head towards the bedrooms he just came from. Wordlessly, she put the backpack on and followed him down the hallway. The bedroom in question looked very lived in- a sight that was much different than the last time they were there.

Come to think of it, the whole house looked more lived in than the last time. "There's dust on everything, even the stuff that looks like it was moved recently." She observed, knowing exactly what that meant: whoever was staying here left quite some time ago.

They didn't say anything else as they walked back to the camp but Daryl knew exactly what was on her mind: the family she'd previously thought were dead. Sure, anyone could've made that farmhouse home but it was only natural to wonder if it was her family. "Maybe they're at the farm waitin' for us." She spoke softly after about a mile of walking.

He didn't reply. Didn't want to tell her not to get her hopes up because… the fact that she does that is the very thing he loves about her. Daryl didn't want to see the day when she grew pessimistic. "Yeah, maybe." He mumbled after a few seconds of thought, a growing pessimism in his own stomach with each step they took.

When they got back, Beth ran into every room of the house- even went so far as to search the barn for her loved ones. She didn't call out for them or even ask anyone if strangers had shown up while she was gone, just quietly investigated the situation and then retreated to the RV when she failed to find them.

Before going to sleep, Daryl found himself knocking on the thin door that closed off the queen bed from the rest of the camper. It was already closed when he came inside after dinner (a few hours ago) so he wasn't sure if she'd be asleep already. Regardless, he spoke through the door. "Beth?" He started uncertainly, feeling stupid talking to someone who was potentially unconscious. Didn't bother waiting for her to say something regardless, "We're gonna find them."

Very distinctly, the man heard a scoff through the door. "Yeah, I'm sure they're off with your brother somewhere." Her voice was very sarcastic and pessimistic, something he knew didn't last too long with her. All she ever needed was a good sleep.

"Fuck off." It was a halfhearted reply that was almost immediately met with a "screw you!" from his companion. The next morning they woke up and smoked a cigarette in silence; were back to bickering before breakfast was over.

* * *

Authors note: hey guys! I know it's been too long but I promise I haven't given up on this or Be Good (which should have a new chapter up as well in the next few days!) Life just got in the way and I was still trying to decide exactly what I wanted to do with the upcoming plot of this. I apologize for any typos that are surely in there somewhere, I get so excited when I'm actually done with a chapter that I don't want to proof read it as thoroughly as I should.

Reviews and comments make my entire life worth it. (Heavy, I know)


	8. VII

The crackling of the fire was the only noise audible - well, other than the cicadas singing them to sleep. It was an unbelievably still night and arguably the most perfect weather in the world. Not to mention the fact that it was her favorite time of the year; before fall was in full swing when days were warm as hell and nights weren't too hot or cold. There were moments in her life that occasionally a realization would hit her while the memory was still being made: she was going to remember this fondly for the rest of my life. Seemingly out of nowhere Beth began to feel that feeling, glancing around at her companions near the firepit they'd dug; she tried to take a mental picture of their faces for her imaginary scrapbook.

It was just Daryl, Glenn and Tdog around the small flame with her at that point. Earlier the whole group was enjoying the warmth but as it got later people slowly started drifting off to bed. There wasn't much use for making fires anymore since they were living out of the house - it had a generator and they'd gotten used to cooking in the kitchen again. The change of pace reminded her of childhood camping trips with the whole family and she found herself smiling at the thought.

Glancing around in the darkness, she couldn't help but to appreciate the fact that they managed to make it work on the farm for so long. The people she traveled with had become her second family despite her efforts to keep her distance and the warmth that came with that feeling of companionship reminded her why having loved ones is just… worth the risk. With a huge yawn, Tdog stood and stretched his arms over his head sleepily. "Gotta tap out. G'night y'all."

"And then there were three." Glenn spoke up, pausing to look at the two other people around the fire. His expression didn't change much after doing that but he did speak up, "Ermm.. I actually might head to bed after all. Sleep well!" Standing and jogging to catch up with Tdog, Glenn was gone before the either of them could respond to the abrupt exit.

Eyes on the retreating figure as he spoke, "Where's the fire?" Daryl muttered- shaking his head as he put one more small branch in the flame to distract himself from that awkward departure that was obviously … a bit weird.

Clearing her throat, Beth nodded slightly to herself and spoke from a fragile place of honestly. "Sorry… I, uh, think he knows that I have a thing for you." After a few awkward beats she continued, "I've never said anythin' to him... It's not like I'm gushin' about you all the time." A few more seconds of silence passed. "Sorry if mentioning it makes you uncomfortable. I just think it's obvious to anyone who knows us. Why should I play dumb, you know?"

Daryl wasn't the best at communicating but he didn't have too much trouble finding the words on that particular night. "You shouldn't. I'm glad you can talk to me- we're friends. That's the whole damn point." Hearing him speak an actual sentence for the first time in what felt like ages put her instantly at ease. "Whatever it is you're feelin' though, you gotta get over it or just… accept that it ain't gonna happen. It ain't gonna happen."

A little deflated and disappointed but not at all surprised, Beth signed. "I know."

Nodding towards the house vaguely- where Glenn and Tdog walked off a few minutes ago- he spoke again: "What about Glenn? Why can't you have a thing for him?"

Beth wrinkled her nose and shook her head as if the thought was disgusting - even went as far as to make a face as she responded. "No, never! Glenn reminds me of my sister."

Daryl stared at her for a moment or two as if he expected her to correct herself to mean 'brother' or elaborate further. When she failed to do so and instead simply stared back at him with her huge doe eyes, he scoffed. "That's a fucking weird thing to say, Beth."

After a second she kind of shrugged a bit, "Not really. They have similar personalities, I bet they'd get along." She giggled kind of randomly and added, "Have you ever had a crush? You don't get to just… pick the person and decide you like them. There's gotta be some chemistry or… I don't know, something to crush over..."

"Jeez, should I get Glenn back out here and have you say that to his face?"

"You know what I mean." The thing was… he knew exactly what she meant. He'd had plenty of friendships before but they never really felt like this. Not that it's any of her business.

* * *

Sitting at her mother's grave with a book in her hand as the afternoon sun cast a beautiful shadow through the leaves of the tree above her, Beth took a moment to pause and place her bookmark in the page. She heard hesitant feet approach her and it wasn't a surprise to her as she looked up to find Carl standing in front of her.

His fascination with her hadn't subsided at all in the months that passed. She understood she supposed- Beth was the youngest person around the camp since Sophia passed and he probably saw a potential friendship with her. "Hey Carl." She greeted pleasantly, patting the blanket beside her as in invitation to sit.

He shook his head pretty excitedly, "You gotta come look!" Never one to squash the joy of the youth, Beth set her book down stood to follow after him towards the edge of the property.

Before long they were near the swampy part of their land and she found herself frowning as she jogged a bit to keep up with the 12 year old ball of energy, calling ahead to him: "Were you out here by yourself?"

Dismissively waving his hand, Carl responded without much thought. "Yeah I get so bored around camp. There's nothing to do! Look!" He pointed ahead to him where there was a walker stuck in the mud, reaching towards them desperately but slowly as if it hadn't eaten in ages.

Beth winced as she took in the sight; it was someone she recognized from working at the local gas station. She saw them often when she went into the store for an ice cream while gassing up. She winced again when Carl spoke once more, "I've never seen one this close before."

When he picked up a small twig and tossed it in the direction of the walker, Beth found one of her fists tightening as the other unsheathed her favorite knife. "That makes you lucky, Carl. Most people don't have their parents looking out for them anymore. I've seen walker's up close many times and I've almost died because of it. This isn't a game, this is your life and you need to stop being so stupid." Clearly not expecting that response, Beth almost felt bad as she saw the younger boys eyes widen as if he might cry at the stern reply. "Stay back."

Trudging through the water, she let out a gasp without meaning to when the walker someone wiggled itself free and lunged for her- nearly knocking her down. Instead she steadied herself and wrestled with it for a few minutes, eventually managing to push it back with one hand and plunge her blade through its skull with her other. When she glanced back towards where Carl had previously been, she found that he ran off in the middle of her struggle. Climbing out of the gunk with a frown, Beth found herself mumbling disgruntled curse words under her breath as she made a mental note to talk to his parents.

* * *

"Everyone's going over to the field for shooting practice, you know." The voice of an older man spoke-coming from the doorway of the dimly lit kitchen that was only occupied by one other person; Daryl was leaning against the countertop and eating from a can, staring at nothing in particular before his peace of mind was disturbed. He grunted in reply- tried to make his apathy obvious by not lifting his gaze to the older man.

"I don't need lessons." He eventually replied when the other man continued to stare at him and wait for a response. The old man had a good heart and truthfully, Daryl had grown to like him. He could be annoying as hell but he listened to his conscious and spoke up for what he thought was right; Daryl wasn't used to being around people like him. He expected everyone to be their best selves and did whatever he could to push them towards that. But he also meddled into business that wasn't his sometimes and something told the archer that this was about to be one of those times.

Dale spoke again as he entered the kitchen and started to open a can of beans for himself, "Did you realize your girl has become quite the shot? Both of them have, actually.."

Nodding, Daryl finished his bite and finally responded. "So I keep hearin'." The camp was raving about how much the ladies were improving their shots; it was about the fifth lesson and they were really starting to pay off. From what he'd heard from around camp, Carol could shoot as well as Rick by now. Beth wasn't as quick to learn as the others but she was making progress pretty quickly for someone who hadn't ever shot a gun in her life.

"Listen, Daryl- about Beth… I don't know what's going on-" Daryl opened his mouth to tell him to fuck off but Dale quickly spoke again before he could, "- and it's none of my business; You're a good man. I trust you to do the right thing by that _young girl_." His eyes said everything his words did not: that he wasn't an idiot and could tell she was younger than she'd let on. "It's just that…. Even if she is 19 like she says she'd still be a bit young for you. Don't you think?"

Finishing his meal and tossing the can into the trash, Daryl pushed from the cabinet that he was leaning on abruptly and nodded as he began to walk away from the other an. "You're right." He grunted, "It is none of your damn business."

The thing was- Daryl knew the other man was right. He just hated the idea that someone thought they had to explain to him that it'd be inappropriate to get together with that lost girl who desperately wanted to find her parents; a girl who would make a home out of anyone who let her. As if he'd take advantage of her if someone hadn't reminded him that it was wrong. Their relationship was strictly platonic.

* * *

It was a clear night sky after dinner and Beth couldn't help but to admire it from the porch of her old childhood home, cigarette between two fingers and smoke drifting out of her mouth on the exhale. Carol was beside her as quiet as ever with her own cigarette; it'd become a ritual for the two to have a smoke together after dinner. Sometimes Daryl joined them, sometimes not - many times he waited to join them until after they were done bonding, when he would recruit Beth for some night time training.

She'd gotten very skilled hunting during the day so they started going out at night to practice survival skills. One night a few months ago now she'd admitted to Daryl that she wanted to be like him; A soldier, a warrior. Someone who could handle anything. He'd insisted that she was all those things already and she'd scoffed dismissively- told him not to coddle her. She was nowhere near as tough as him... hell, she didn't even feel as tough as Andrea or Glenn. Sometime after that conversation he'd started teaching her self defense moves as well, teaching her different ways to gain the upper hand in risky situations.

This world was ten times more dangerous at night and they both knew it; Daryl started to insist this was the next step in the progression of making her a Certified Badass. After the first time they'd gone out at night, Beth understood why. The sound of walkers roaming in circles, the cicadas screaming into the void, the dark southern forest… traveling in the night was terrifying. Not once when she was alone for those two months had she dared to make night trips and now that she'd started doing them with Daryl she was glad for that fact. It was just as bad as she imagined it'd be.

Two cigarettes later and Beth really found herself wondering where Daryl was. Now that she thought about it he hadn't been at dinner either- that wasn't uncommon for the man so she hadn't thought anything of it previously. Going this long without him is pretty uncommon though...

On their nightly hike this evening she was going to suggest raiding someplace with cigarettes. Daryl always just… provided them for her and although she appreciated it, the girl didn't want to be a burden. Wanted to provide for herself if she could- maybe even get some for Carol if she can. The man wasn't anywhere in sight though.

Glenn poked his head out of the open window to the right of the women, "Hey, I'm about to start my watch shift but I kinda wanted company. Want to tag along?" He was mainly talking to Beth but he glanced at Carol as well, making sure to be as inclusive as possible. Carol shook her head.

Looking around the yard quickly, Beth took a second to think. "Uhh, yeah. Maybe. Have you seen Daryl?" Both of the other people suddenly started looking uncomfortable.

Carol looked away as she lit another cigarette and Glenn reluctantly spoke the truth, "He's gone."

Beth patiently waited for him to elaborate but when he failed to do so words tumbled out, her voice high and screechy much to her own dismay. "What do you mean he's gone?!" He'd clearly spoken to both Carol and Glenn- probably even Rick if she were to bet. Is she the only one he hadn't spoken to? His closest friend? She wasn't bitter at all.

"Told us this afternoon that he's leaving for a week- maybe more." Carol spoke with worry in her eyes, scanning the field in front of the house for him despite knowing it was wishful thinking. "Said he went to look for your family."

"What?" She was having trouble processing this. Hadn't they all reached the same unspoken conclusion that her family was dead? "Why the hell would he do that after all this time? Even if they are alive, they could be on the other side of the country…"

Suddenly it was clear why he hadn't told her. It was her first instinct to wish that she could go with him in search of them and she was almost certain she would have insisted on it had he told her before leaving. Apparently this was something he wanted to do alone. "Rick let him do that?"

Exhaling with a scoff, Carol took one more puff from her cigarette before replying. "He's not happy about it but you know Daryl. I'm not sure anyone could tell him what to do." When Beth frowned in response Carol nodded, speaking again: "The chances of finding them seem so slim. He shouldn't risk his life… not when there are people here who need him."

Beth pushed herself from the porch railing she was leaning against and stomped out the butt of her cigarette, "Yeah." She tried to hide the annoyance she was feeling but it slid into her tone despite that. "Let me grab my knife and we can go." She muttered toward Glenn as she walked back towards the RV— where all her clothes and possessions were haphazardly stuffed into a duffel bag she used for gym class back in the day.

As she walked away from the porch she could vaguely hear Glenn and Carol speak behind her but she couldn't quite make out what they were saying. She could only assume they were gossiping about her reaction but maybe they were just talking about how good dinner had been- who knows? She'd been raised to not make any assumptions so she dropped the thought as she grabbed the pistol that Rick gifted her as well- just in case. After securing her hair into a ponytail she turned to leave just as quickly as she came. On her way out she grabbed the knife that Daryl had given her; it had become her good luck charm over the past few months. She grumpily slammed the door behind her as she made her way back towards the main house.

How could Daryl have left without saying anything? Glenn and Carol spoke as if they didn't expect him to be back anytime soon—a week, she'd said? How could he make such an impulsive and dangerous decision without warning her first? Did he not realize how much she'd grown to depend on their friendship or did he just … not care?

Did he not think about how lost she'd be if he didn't return? She knew her fate shouldn't rest on his shoulders but uhh… it kinda did at this point. What was he thinking making a multiple day journey alone? No one traveled alone anymore- she'd heard Andrea refer to traveling alone as essentially suicide the other day and couldn't help but to agree. She survived alone when she had to but she'd barely made it out alive if she was going to be honest with herself.

To put herself at ease she made a mantra to repeat in her thoughts: " _if anyone can do it, Daryl can"_ she told herself that again and again until the anxious knot in her stomach slowly started to subside.

* * *

Authors Notes: wowza I'm excited to actually know where I'm takin' this story! We're gettin' there, friends.

When y'all interact with my writing (favoriting, turning on notifications, reviewing!) - that shit makes my entire day brighter and gets my lil fingers typing all the faster so… plz do that if there is still people out here reading this! Or if you're new here, hello! I love this story but it helps to know that other people do too soooo lmk ;-)

This chapter is for **LiasonFan2** because they always review and make me smile; you are a real one and that kinda stuff motivates me to stick to this soooo thank you!

I have a bunch of half-written Bethyl oneshots that I'm going to finish up and post soon. Keep an eye out! xo


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